Sponsor a Wild Animal

Why Sponsor?

Sponsorships are available for $100. Your credit card will be billed once for a one-time donation. You can also set up an automatic quarterly or yearly sponsorship of an animal by calling us at 830.336.2725 x308 or by visiting our main donation page. Sponsors will receive an 8×10 photo and an information sheet about the selected animal as well as a certificate. Sponsorships make wonderful and much appreciated gifts for children and others who care about animals, and in particular, the one sponsored.

How to Sponsor

To make a monetary donation online:

Review the various animal sponsorships below, then click on the SPONSOR NOW button link of the animal you choose. This will take you to a secure donation page where you can make your purchase.

To sponsor an animal in someone’s honor or memory:

Submit his/her contact information and your message. Your gift recipient will receive a card letting him or her know that a gift or memorial sponsorship has been made in their or their loved one’s name, along with the sponsorship items mentioned above.

Sponsor a Bear in Sanctuary

Over the many years that WRR has been in existence we have rescued several black bears. The eldest male bear now living at WRR was exploited as a “mascot” at Baylor University before being sent to live in peace at our sanctuary. One female, now in her mid-twenties, was rescued from the horrors of a roadside zoo; another elderly female came to us after being found, along with several other animals, locked in a darkened barn in shipping crates—where they had existed for over 9 years. The most recent rescued bear is a 10 year old male who was locked in dog runs with 6 other bears.

All these bears taken in by WRR now reside in a spacious, outdoor enclosure with trees, two above ground cement pools with a constant supply of fresh water for drinking and soaking in, and plenty of fresh fruits, berries and vegetables to eat. The bears now have the freedom to enjoy a healthy and peaceful existence in the WRR sanctuary, truly a second chance at life.

In the wild, American Black Bears live solitary lives except during mating periods and when mothers are tending cubs. Adult males can weigh 500 pounds and females up to 300. They are excellent climbers and fast as well, reaching speeds of 30 mph. They are considered omnivores but rarely eat other animals. Although American Black Bears are not true hibernators, they will sleep for several months during winter (depending on the climate) without intake of water or food or any excretions.

Sponsor a Monkey in Sanctuary

Primates who live at the Wildlife Rescue sanctuary have been rescued from one of three situations: they have been held and used in laboratories; kept in sub-standard conditions in roadside zoos; or inappropriately and often inhumanely kept as so-called “pets.”

Once they arrive at WRR they are given time to acclimate to their new surroundings before being introduced to their new companions and new home. Many of the primate enclosures are one to two acres in size, others are smaller but all have trees, native grasses, rocks, and bushes that are part of the natural terrain. These enclosures also have above-ground cement pools. All of the enclosures have fully heated buildings that the monkeys can access at-will during the winter months. In the spring and summer they often like to use them as private quarters to spend some time indoors.

All the primates at WRR are given a daily diet of fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. They are also offered monkey chow biscuits and peanut butter sandwiches. Because of the size and natural settings in which they live, the monkeys always have access to roots, leaves, sprouts, insects, and other elements of interest.

Spider monkeys (pictured here), capuchins and marmosets, are native to Central and South America and Mexico and are considered New World while the other primates at WRR are Old World monkey who are found in Africa and Asia. Many of the primates are from one to two feet tall and all are incredibly agile, strong and graceful and love to spend time in the treetops. The primates who live at WRR spend their days in the company of like or similar species, eating, climbing, swimming and sleeping. Like all wild animals at WRR they are never named nor do we attempt to interact with them or tame them. They are allowed to live a life that is as close to what they would have in the wild as we can provide.

Sponsor a Cougar in Sanctuary

The cougars, also known as mountain lion, cat-a-mount or panther, like many of the other wild animals at WRR, were victimized by the wildlife “pet” trade. They were declawed in an attempt to make them safe to be sold and they were confined in small cages or runs and even abandoned in boarded up houses. These magnificent cats can never again go free but at WRR they do live in a wooded 4.5-acre enclosure that includes a rocky bluff that is perfect for climbing, hiding, and basking in the sun.

Historically, cougars ranged throughout the Western Hemisphere from northern British Columbia to Patagonia and from the Atlantic to Pacific coasts. Habitat loss and hunting have limited them now primarily to the western U.S. Males can be 8 feet in length and weigh 150 pounds; females are usually smaller and are around 7 feet in length and 90-100 pounds. Despite claims that they are a major menace to livestock, the fact is the cougar prefers to eat deer and small mammals. They will often live into their early 20’s in captivity. The cougar receives no legal protection in the state of Texas.

Cougars are solitary animals in the wild but at WRR the cougars enjoy the company of each other. In the wild the cubs remain with their mothers until they are over a year old; during this time she teaches them all the skills they must have in order to hunt and survive on their own. Cougars climb trees easily but spend most of their time on the ground. They are extremely elusive animals, and even hikers who have covered hundreds of miles in their territories rarely see them.

Sponsor a Macaw in Sanctuary

The two macaws who reside at WRR both came from the wild animal “pet” trade. Though parrots and other wild birds have been kept as “pets” for generations, here at WRR we still see them as wild animals in need of interesting space where they can fly and live with other birds.

Macaws are native to tropical Central and South America, are members of the Parrot family, and include sixteen species within three genera. The largest have up to a four-foot wingspan and the smallest about fifteen inches and all are brightly colored. Males and females are identical and can’t be visually differentiated by humans, although they manage for themselves quite well. They are considered smarter than dogs, but make far less desirable “pets.” When forced into captivity with little or no contact with their own kind, their naturally boisterous habits and constant need for stimulus and interaction with other birds translates into an unhappy captive. A caged existence is certainly not one they would ever choose.

Their preferred diet consists of seeds, fruits, and other plant materials. They can live up to seventy years. Sadly, however, because of the pet trade, habitat destruction, and killing for their feathers, many species are endangered.

Sponsor a Native Bird in Sanctuary

WRR rescues around 3,000 native birds every year. Some of these are fledglings who should have been left alone to be cared for by their parents, but who were found on the ground, doing their best to follow their parents as they became strong enough to fly. It is sadly common for caring people to believe they are rescuing fledglings when in fact they are usually stealing them from caring parents.

Other young birds treated by WRR have fallen from nests or their parents have been killed. All young birds require warmth and species- and age-appropriate feedings until they are old enough to fend for themselves. For many of the birds WRR rescues this means feeding of a special diet every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day, every day. Your sponsorship provides food, bedding, medication, veterinary care, supplies, and plenty of attention from our Animal Caretakers.

Sponsor a Native Mammal in Sanctuary

The native mammals who are rescued by Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation make up the largest number of animals seen and cared for by this organization. Every year we are called on to save infant, adolescent, and adult raccoons, squirrels, foxes, deer, bobcats, coyotes, opossums, armadillos, bats, skunks and many others. It is always difficult to witness the suffering that these animals must face in a human-dominated world. But for these animals we can offer a future that will be spent in their natural habitats since they are usually only in need of our care for few weeks to a few months—during this time they are given the ideal food, medical care, and rehabilitation before being set free. Your sponsorship provides species specific diets, medicines and the day to day care required to make them ready for release.

All the native wildlife who are rescued and rehabilitated at WRR are released as soon as they are healthy and no longer in need of care. We have over a dozen protected release sites in the state of Texas; all are on privately owned land where there is a year-round water supply and where the habitat is known to support the species being released there. We rotate among release sites so that no one site receives more animals than it can support. Supplemental food is placed at the site when necessary to make the transition back to the wild an easy one. Once they are given the advantage of good nutrition and the company of their own species, they welcome the opportunity to reclaim their life of freedom in the natural world.

Sponsor a Wolf Hybrid in Sanctuary

Wildlife Rescue is home to six wolf hybrids (often called wolf-dogs). These animals are deliberately bred to be “pets”; this practice is cruel and done solely to make money or meet inappropriate psychological needs at the expense of these high strung canids. There are estimated to be as many as a half million wolf hybrids in the U.S. While some people are drawn to these hybrids for romantic or negative psychological reasons, their lives are generally unhappy since they are not suited to be companion animals. Many shelters kill them rather than risk adopting them out.

These beautiful animals reside in a three acre, wooded enclosure at WRR. They are given the peace and privacy they need and prefer to dig deep dens, romp about with each other and be left alone by humans. We do not name or try to tame them but let them live a more wild life at our sanctuary.

Wolves were once abundant and distributed over much of North America, Eurasia, and the Middle East. Today, for a variety of human-related reasons that include widespread habitat destruction and excessive hunting, wolves inhabit only a very limited portion of their former range.

Sponsor an Owl in Sanctuary

Wildlife Rescue is home to five Great Horned Owls, all of whom have suffered wing injuries caused by gunshot wounds or collisions with cars and high power lines. They live in a large aviary in the WRR sanctuary that is dense with oak trees. They are cared for by staff members who provide them with an appropriate diet and an interesting and suitable habitat, and then step back and allow these majestic birds to live as close to a natural life as possible.

Great Horned Owls are the largest and most common owl species in the Americas. Very adaptable, they live from suburbia to the wilderness, the far north to the south. Those owls who live in northern regions migrate for the winter but others have permanent home ranges. These great birds form monogamous pairs and share duties sitting on eggs, but the male leaves to hunt and bring back food for the female owl. They are powerful and fiercely protective of their young, having been known to threaten humans who ventured too close. These owls eat a wide variety of mammals and birds and can carry prey weighing several times their own weight. They may be the only animal who will eat skunks.

More Ways to Help WRR

ABOUT

Wildlife Rescue’s Vision is that humans come to see that we are members of a vast life community, that we experience the proper gratitude and respect for this community, and that we live in a more appropriate and compassionate manner in relation to the whole.

WRR was founded in 1977 in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2001 its primary base of operations has been located on 212 acres near Kendalia, Texas, a property which was purchased through the generosity of three of our supporters.